Lagoon type swimming pool

ABSTRACT

A lagoon type swimming pool ( 10 ) with skimmer take-up means or similar, comprises a tank with curved or sloping walls formed from an excavation in the ground or from a work above the ground, on which a layer of rubber -like waterproof material, e.g. EPDM synthetic rubber ( 11 ) is laid to form the water containing basin, said swimming pool comprising a plumbing system with delivery conduits ( 12 ) and return conduits ( 13 ) connected to a distribution unit ( 14 ) comprising water filtering and antibacterial treatment systems as well as hydraulic pumps for the functioning of the system. The delivery of the water inside the tank is achieved by means of a tubular type distribution system ( 15 ) in which the individual conduits are provided with a series of holes; furthermore, one or more layers of high porosity or water permeable material are applied over said tubular distribution system ( 15 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention concerns a lagoon type swimming pool provided with a new design of water delivery means.

More specifically, this invention refers to a lagoon type swimming pool which, unlike known solutions, makes use of a new system for delivery of the water that circulates in the pool not through the traditional conduits positioned inside the pool walls but through a series of porous layers.

The swimming pool according to the invention substantially foresees the use of a plurality of perforated and/or microperforated pipes positioned at the bottom of the pool, on top of which are a series of layers of water-permeable material, that is to say that allows water to pass through it.

The solution according to the invention has numerous and significant advantages with respect to the traditional technique of water delivery into the pool through the openings, including the possibility of creating swimming pools with an extremely natural appearance, resembling in every way actual lagoons with beaches.

This invention can be applied in the plumbing sector and more specifically in the swimming pool sector, and particularly in the lagoon type swimming pool segment, that is to say pools with sloping, non-vertical walls.

The invention can also be applied in the sector for the production of jacuzzis.

BACKGROUND ART

It is known that swimming pools are constructed in various ways depending on their type, which can be divided into two main kinds: the first type is the overflow perimeter type, which is certainly more attractive in appearance, while the second type, of simpler construction, is the skimmer type.

Swimming pools with an overflow perimeter have the characteristic of allowing the water to overflow the edge of the pool, where it is collected in a channel positioned along the edges of the pool and sent to the buffer tank, indispensable for maintaining a constant water level in the pool.

From the buffer tank, by means of a pump, the water is filtered and returned to the pool through the delivery conduits positioned along the inner walls of the pool. This ensures cleaner water because at least part of the perimeter of the pool overflows and eliminates any surface pollution.

These swimming pools comprise a buffer tank, adjacent to the pool, that collects the water overflowing from the main pool. The dimensions of the buffer tank vary according to the dimensions of the swimming pool.

The buffer tank is also the recipient for chemical products necessary to sanitize the water, either manually or automatically.

This tank also houses all the controls for the correct functioning of the swimming pool: automatic water topping up, overflow, overload cutout, chemical product control and dosage.

Skimmer type swimming pools, simpler from a construction point of view, also have a different visual effect.

This type of swimming pool makes use of the generally rectangular openings, defined as skimmers, positioned along the sides of the pool and from which the water is aspirated by the pump and then returned to the pool through delivery conduits after mechanical filtering. In this case there is no buffer tank, making the construction simpler, less “bulky” and less expensive. The water level is lower than the edge of the pool by approximately 15 cm.

This type of pool may also have an automatic product dosing system, at the level of the water entry, or a manual dosing system.

As currently designed according to the two main categories described above, swimming pools foresee that the water enters the pool through a series of delivery conduits positioned along the pool walls, so that the water, arriving from the filtering and sanitization zone, can carry out the delivery and return cycle to maintain the necessary level of sanitization.

Due to the presence of the delivery conduits, this type of swimming pool limits the possibilities of pool use, preventing the construction of natural lagoon type pools with sandy type bottoms.

Document EP 1967672 A1 discloses a tub for bathing comprising a bathing zone delimited by a structure mounted inside a sealed tub, an anchoring means placed at ground through tarpaulin sealing, and a lagooning area arranged around the bathing zone. The tub consists of an excavation dug in ground, and is sealed by tarpaulin. The anchoring means comprise an anchoring base equipped with a pedestal intended to be set in a concrete foundation and with a bearing plate to receive stakes, and a sealing compound layer between the bearing plate and the tarpaulin sealing.

Document ES 2312257 A1 discloses a pool having a sand bottom. The water overflowing the pool edge returns to a decanter and then passes through a pre-filter and a delivery pump that circulates part of the flow to surface and part to the bottom of the pool through a large filter surface which occupies the entire bottom of the pool.

Document DE 10305468 A1 discloses a pond where a partition divides said pond into a swimming section and a filtering and purification section. The filtering and purification region has a particle filtering medium through which water passes. An opening is provided at the base of the swimming section while a water suction opening is provided at the base of the filtering and purification section.

Document FR 2922241 A1 discloses a pool having a bathing basin defining a main volume, and a retention basin in which water is stored when the pool is out of service and separated from the bathing basin. Pumps send, under pressure, water contained in the retention basin to lateral volumes defined by the bathing basin. The lateral volumes communicate with the main volume by passages located at bottom of the bathing basin such that water pressure in the lateral volumes is higher than that of the main volume to circulate water via the passages, in service, in a turbulent manner.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a lagoon type swimming pool, constructed with a new water delivery system which makes it possible to eliminate or at least reduce the drawbacks described above.

The invention also provides a lagoon type swimming pool that is very simple to construct and which can guarantee a very natural visual effect, achieving an appearance that greatly resembles a beach.

This is achieved by means of a lagoon type swimming pool whose characteristics are described in the main claim.

The dependent claims of the solution in question describe advantageous embodiments of the invention.

The principal advantages of this solution, in addition to all those which derive from its simple, easy to manufacture design, primarily concern that fact that the unattractive traditional delivery conduits are completely abolished, replaced by an innovative system for circulation of the water inside the pool through the actual pool walls.

The lagoon type swimming pool according to the invention therefore substantially comprises a circulation system of the water inside the pool consisting of a plurality of perforated pipes positioned at the bottom of the pool, on top of which are a series of layers of sufficiently porous material to allow the water from the pipes to flow through this material into the pool. This makes it possible to obtain a surprising visual effect that resembles a beach in every way.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the invention will become clear on reading the description given below of one embodiment, provided as a non-binding example, with the help of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of the lagoon type swimming pool according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a detail in cross-section;

FIG. 3 is an even more detailed cross-section view of the swimming pool;

FIG. 4 shows a possible arrangement of the perforated pipes positioned at the bottom of the pool.

DESCRIPTION OF ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the accompanying drawings, the lagoon type swimming pool provided with innovative means of water delivery is indicated overall with the reference number 10, and substantially consists of a pool with curved or sloping walls formed from an excavation in the ground on which a layer of EPDM 11 is laid to form the water containing basin.

The swimming pool according to the invention comprises a plumbing system consisting of delivery conduits 12 and return conduits 13 connected to a distribution unit 14 comprising water filtering and antibacterial treatment systems as well as hydraulic pumps for the functioning of the system.

The particularity of the invention lies in the fact that the delivery of the water in the pool is obtained by the use of a tubular type distribution system indicated overall with the reference number 15 in FIG. 4, the individual conduits of which have perforations positioned at appropriate distances from each other, if necessary at gradually shorter distances with respect to the delivery point, or if necessary at constant distances and with progressively larger diameter holes in relation to the distance of the water entry point.

According to the invention the perforated tubular distribution system 15 is surmounted by the following successive layers:

-   -   a first layer in fabric or thermoplastic material such as         polypropylene or other similar material designed for the same         purpose, perforated or microperforated indicated with reference         number 16, following the trend of the tubular elements which are         thus coated;     -   a second layer 17 of inert materials and resin, where the inert         materials consist of granules in quartz or stone or various         material, including synthetic material, with granulosity         indicatively between 1 cm and 7 cm, mixed in a percentage of 1         to 6 kilograms of resin with 50 kg of granules;     -   a third layer 18 consisting of a net in glass fibre or         thermoplastic material, for example polypropylene, polyethylene         or other similar material designed for the same purpose, with a         mesh indicatively between 0.5 cm and 6 cm;     -   a fourth layer 19 consisting of a finishing mixture made from an         agglomerate of sand and/or granular material with granulometry         between 0.1 and 1 cm, mixed with resin in a percentage between 2         to 6 kg for every 50 kg of sand.

The granular inert material consists of the following materials in the form of grains or granules:

-   -   1. quartz;     -   2. marble;     -   3. glass;     -   4. others.

The layers positioned above the tubular elements 15 can naturally be made up of any materials as long as they are porous or or in any case water-permeable.

The tubular elements 15 can be arranged in any way and the arrangement shown in FIG. 4 is one of the possibilities.

For example, the tubular elements can be positioned in any way, in geometrical concentric circles, in a web or in variously arranged distribution lines depending on the shape and size of the volume.

The resin making up the binder can consist of epoxy resin or mono-component resin or any other adhesive material which maintains the granules with a certain stability, guaranteeing the porosity and thus allowing the water to pass from the tubular conduits to the basin.

Advantageously, the bottom of the swimming pool can be covered with an additional layer of sand, making its appearance even more natural.

The invention as described above refers to a preferred embodiment. It is nevertheless clear that the invention is susceptible to numerous variations which lie within the scope of its disclosure, in the framework of technical equivalents. For example, an advantageous embodiment of the invention applied to jacuzzi tubs, in particular large-sized ones, is foreseen. 

1.-11. (canceled)
 12. A lagoon type swimming pool with skimmer take-up means or similar, comprising a tank with curved or sloping walls formed from an excavation in the ground or from a work above the ground, on which a layer of rubber-like waterproof material, e.g. EPDM synthetic rubber is laid to form the water containing basin, said swimming pool comprising a plumbing system with delivery conduits and return conduits connected to a distribution unit comprising water filtering and antibacterial treatment systems and hydraulic pumps for the functioning of the system; wherein the delivery of the water inside the tank is achieved by means of a tubular type distribution system in which the individual conduits are provided with a series of holes, and in that one or more layers of high porosity or water permeable material are applied over said tubular distribution system.
 13. The swimming pool of claim 12, wherein the holes of the conduits in said tubular type distribution system are positioned at a predetermined distance from each other, and in that the diameters of said holes have predetermined dimensions.
 14. The swimming pool of claim 12, wherein the perforated tubular distribution system is surmounted by one or more of the following successive layers: a first layer made of perforated or microperforated fabric or thermoplastic material, in particular polypropylene or other similar material, following the trend of the tubular elements which are thus covered by said first layer; a second layer of inert materials and resin, where the inert materials comprise granules in quartz or stone or various material, including synthetic material, with a predetermined granulosity, mixed in a resin mixture; a third layer consisting of a net in glass fibre, polypropylene, polyethylene or other similar material designed for the same purpose; a fourth layer consisting of a finishing mixture made from an agglomerate of sand and/or granular material having a predetermined granulometry mixed with resin in a predetermined percentage.
 15. The swimming pool of claim 14, wherein the granular inert material comprises the following materials in the form of grains or granules: quartz; marble; glass.
 16. The swimming pool of claim 14, wherein the layers positioned above the conduits are porous or anyway permeable to water.
 17. The swimming pool of claim 14, wherein the conduits are positioned in any way, in geometrical concentric circles, in a web or in variously arranged distribution lines depending on the shape and size of the volume.
 18. The swimming pool of claim 14, wherein the resin making up the binder consists of epoxy resin or mono-component resin or any other adhesive material which maintains the granules with a certain stability, guaranteeing the porosity and thus allowing the water to pass from the tubular conduits to the basin.
 19. The swimming pool of claim 12, wherein the bottom of the swimming pool is covered with a layer of sand.
 20. The swimming pool of claim 14, wherein said second layer comprises granules with granulosity indicatively between 1 cm and 7 cm, mixed in a percentage of 1 to 6 kg of resin with 50 kg of granules.
 21. The swimming pool of claim 14, wherein said third layer has a mesh indicatively between 0.5 cm and 6 cm.
 22. The swimming pool of claim 14, wherein said fourth layer comprises sand or granular material with granulometry between 0.1 cm and 1 cm mixed with resin in a percentage between 2 to 6 kg for every 50 kg of sand. 